A manufacturer and brand name will be concerned not only with making a useful and high quality product, but also with marketing that product. This ranges from traditional means such as commercial food packaging bags and custom printed coffee bags all the way to signs both inside and outside a store, posters, and digital advertising. A lot of money is spent on marketing and advertising each year, not to mention researching new and better ways to advertise. This is something for nearly all industries to consider, from grocery stores and coffee shops all the way to bookstores, hardware stores, and even kids’ toy stores. Proper packaging can make all the difference, and allow for more sales and brand recognition. How can commercial food packaging bags and others make use of this power?
What Good Packaging Can Do
One industry in particular to consider is food and drinks, since everyone buys food to eat. Americans typically visit large grocery stores and markets, or smaller and more specialized ones such as coffee shops or butcher shops. This is where commercial food packaging bags such as meat labels for packaging, chocolate candy bags, and more will be used to full effect. And plenty of trends and studies for commercial food packaging bags and other product packaging show that the packaging makes all the difference. Customers are often impressed by quality packaging and may remember a brand name more easily, and they may be more willing to make another purchase from a brand that uses great packaging. In fact, around 40% of consumers tend to share photos of a product on social media if they liked the packaging, which may serve as amateur but free advertising for the brand. Meanwhile, nearly 52% of online shoppers have reported that they are likely to buy again from a brand if their products come in very good packaging.
Packaging also serves as a means of advertising in a store, since outdoor signs are only meant to bring the customer into the store to start with. Once a customer enters, they are faced with many thousands of different brand names all competing for their attention. Packaging such as commercial food packaging bags and more are designed to help customers decide what to buy. Most customers don’t yet have their minds made up when they enter a store, but 85% of shoppers say that their shopping decisions are affected by what they read on product packages. In-store signs, displays, and price tags may compliment these packages and help entice a customer with new and lower prices, temporary deals, two-for-one deals, and more.
What Makes for Good Packaging
It is clear that good packaging will help entice a customer to buy a particular brand and buy from it again in the future. But what will make a package “good” in the eyes of a customer? The material itself counts, for one thing. Good packages are tough but easy to open, and are made from durable material that has no visible imperfections. Packages that easily fall apart, leak, or have sloppy construction methods may make a bad impression of the brand and discourage a purchase. Bags should look neat and professional and should carefully protect and contain whatever is inside.
The visuals matter too, and a lot of information can be conveyed this way. Usable items such as appliances and electronics may have photos of happy people using them, and simple diagrams and instructions for use on the back of the packaging. Food packages, meanwhile, may use both photos of serving suggestions and clear plastic to showcase the food inside. Fruits and vegetables, and often meat, come in clear plastic bags that allow the food to speak for itself, with some printed graphics such as the brand name and the bar code. Dry goods such as cereal, pasta, and cake mix may have attractive serving suggestions on the front, and even include free recipes on the back. Such packages may have a recipe including the food inside along with foods from similar or allied brand names, and this may help encourage a purchase. The package may also advertise a lack of processed or artificial ingredients, or boast “Low sugar” or “no trans fats.” This may appeal to many customers.
